In That Moment
by The Wayward Typhoon
Summary: "He… He's not coming back, is he?" The Florence Nightingale Effect outlines the common phenomenon of caregivers falling in love with their patients. (collaboration with TheShadowKittyCat)
1. In That Moment

**Author's Note: (now entering Snicket Mode) If you're looking for a story about sisterly love and nothing more, that story can be found elsewhere. But allow me to assure you that should you choose to stay, you will be treated to a tale of loss, comfort, overcoming of shame, and above all else… love. Read on. If you wish.**

 **-TWT**

Take it from me, grief can do a lot of different things to a person. It messes with your emotions, completely cuts you off from most of the world, and… well, forget that last one. But there are a few positives. For one, it tends to get a little better every day, which is good. And when other bad stuff happens, it never seems like too much of a big deal. But most importantly, grief tends to teach you who, in the end, is really important in your life.

I know this because I've grieved twice in my life.

* * *

The first was when my mother died when I was about five or six. From what I remember, she had been sent on a mission somewhere in Mistral, and was overrun by Grimm. They never found a body, but she was presumed dead.

I remember not being able to comprehend what happened. The more everyone tried to gently explain it to me, the more I just refused to believe it. I shut myself away in my room for days, not talking to anyone, and barely sleeping.

The only reason I came back out was my sister.

After I had locked myself away for about four days, I was starting to get really hungry. At that age, I had no concept of "starving to death." All I knew was that I wanted to eat… and yet, out there was a world where my mom was gone. And I didn't want to go back into it.

Fortunately, I didn't have to. At least, not yet. As I sat in my bed, crying my eyes out for what must have been the fourth time that day, I heard the knob of my bedroom door clatter to the floor. It swung open, and in walked my big sister Yang, with a screwdriver in one hand, and a plate of sausages and cookies in another.

I had never been so happy to see anyone in my life.

The next couple hours were filled to the brim with eating, laughing, sisterly hugs, etc., and by the end of it, I could scarcely remember what I was sad about.

Of course, when it came time to talk about Mom, she was the most supportive, caring sister I could have ever asked for. Yang was a pretty good amateur grief counselor, for a second-grader.

As they say, of course, history repeats itself. And about ten years later, I grieved again, under very similar circumstances. Another relative missing, another locked room, and another session of comfort from my sibling.

But that's a story for another day…

…

…And that other day is today.

* * *

Even through my haze of sadness, I had the notion that this seemed somewhat familiar. There I was, locked away in my room on Patch, sobbing into my sheets. Just like I had been a decade before. This time, though, it wasn't my mother that had gone missing. It was my uncle, Qrow Branwen.

I suspect that someone who didn't know me would think it was strange that I was this worked up over the presumed loss of someone I wasn't even related to by blood. But Qrow and I were always really close. He taught at Signal Academy while I attended, and while some would cry nepotism, he said I was his favorite student. And he was my favorite teacher. He was the one who taught me how to build weapons, the one who trained me to wield a scythe… he was the one who unlocked my Aura, when I was 13.

And outside of training, we were just as close. When Dad (and Mom, at first) were out on missions, he would… he never called it "babysitting," but that's basically what it was. He'd watch Yang and I around the house, tell all kinds of war stories (one of my inspirations to be a Huntress), and when we got older, he'd take us out to Vale.

It's funny. Even all this time later, I still lose track of how many people thought I was his daughter.

And now, during my spring break from Beacon Academy, I got the news that while on a mission investigating irregular disturbances in Inner Mistral, he had fallen out of contact. No distress beacon. Not even a feather.

Presumed dead.

So, yeah. What else could I do but shut myself in my room and cry my eyes out?

I had been in there for about a day now. I was starting to get really hungry, but through my tears, I barely noticed. All I could do was just lay there, face buried in my bed, muttering "Uncle Qrow" over and over between sobs.

How sad is that, huh?

Apparently, one day was too much now. At some point, I heard my door creak open, and felt somebody sitting on my bed.

"Hey, sis. How you doing?" It was Yang.

I could only reply with a little whimper.

I could hear Yang sigh. "Can you at least look at me?"

My head turned to look at my sister. She wasn't in what she normally wore. Instead of a brown jacket and black shorts, she had on a gray sweater and a pair of jeans.

"He… He's not coming back, is he?" I choked out.

"Sis, don't talk like that," Yang replied.

"Well, how else am I supposed to talk?!" I half-shouted, sitting up at the foot of the bed like she was. "This is just like what happened to Mom…" I shoved my face into my hands.

I could feel Yang putting her arm around my shoulder. "Ruby… I know what you're feeling. Trust me, I'm going through what you are. I mean, he's my uncle too. But… do you think he'd want to see you like this?"

I put my hands into my lap and looked at her again. "…Why? Why does this keep happening, Yang?"

She looked down, and sighed again. "I don't know. But I can tell you now, it's going to be the last."

"You don't know that. What if this happens to Dad? Or you? Or… or me-"

I couldn't finish my thought, because Yang had pulled me into one of her signature bone-crushing hugs.

"Don't talk like that, Ruby. Don't you _ever_ say that again, do you hear me?!"

I was speechless. Not because her hug had compressed one of my lungs, but because… I had never seen her this angry unless someone damaged her hair.

…Her hair… I always admired how she kept it so full. And it may sound creepy, but I always liked how it smelled, too. The citrus shampoo she always uses blends perfectly with the smoky air left over from her Semblance. It smells just like lemonade at a barbecue…

…Sorry, I'm getting off track.

She started to loosen her hold on me, and it became a far more gentle hug.

"…I'm not losing my sister."

Once I found my breath, I wrapped my arms around her waist, and returned the hug, though not as firmly.

"I… I didn't know you were this scared of…"

"Of course I am," she politely interrupted. "You're the only baby sister I've got, Rubes. You mean so much more to me than I can ever say. I…" She pulled back, looking me in the face another time, and smiling like I hadn't seen her smile in what felt like forever. "I love you."

To this day, I still don't know what it was. Maybe the intense brain chemistry over the grief of my uncle, maybe how Yang had comforted me these past few minutes, maybe this declaration of what I assumed at the time to be sisterly love. Maybe the lighting. The point is, there, in that moment, I began to see her in a whole new light.

Did that justify kissing her about a second later? Probably not, but _in that moment_ … it was all the reason I needed.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision if there ever was one. And I started to regret it immediately after. I mean, I was kissing my sister! And not in the way sisters usually kiss. I kissed her like a lover. Like a… _woman_. And let me be clear: I fully, _fully_ expected her to break away, disgusted. To walk out of my room in a huff, and not talk to me for a while after, maybe forever.

What I did _not_ expect… was for her to kiss me back. But lo behold, she did.

My thoughts went from regret straight to surprise and confusion, and I ended up being the one to pull back. "…Yang?"

She just smiled at me again. "I _love_ you, Ruby. I love you… so much." I saw a tear in her eye. "…So much more than I should."

This was insane. She was insane. I was insane. The world had gone insane. But that didn't stop me from kissing her again. In fact, it only kept me going. My uncle was dead. Nothing was normal anymore, including this.

I loved my big sister. I loved her like she loved me, like sisters aren't supposed to love each other, but we did. And tonight, nothing was going to stop us. I didn't want anything to stop us.

Unfortunately, our need for oxygen did delay us a bit. I felt her pull away from the kiss, and rested her forehead on mine, our breaths slowing as we inhaled air into our lungs. I slowly took her wrist, and I could feel her pulse on my palm.

"I… I love you too, Yang. As much as I need to. Which, in my case…"

She just laughed, and wrapped her own hand around my forearm. "I know, sis," she said, her lavender eyes gently staring into mine. "I know." I could see in her eyes that she meant what she had said. And that was why I had to kiss her just one more time. I shouldn't love my sister this much.

But in that moment, and every moment after… I needed to.

 **Author's Disclaimer: Ah, there you are. And just in time. There's a little matter I forgot to mention. The second chapter of this story deviates from the fluff you have just seen and descends into the realm of the citrus. It is, by definition… a lemon. So if you wish to not view such material, you may exit the story now to your left. Thank you for reading, and have a pleasant browsing experience.**

 **-TWT**


	2. Help Me

**Author's Disclaimer: For those just joining us, I must warn that the chapter you are about to read contains sexual content between half-sisters. Please back out or close this tab now if you do not wish to view said content.**

…

 **Everyone off who wants to get off? Lovely. Enjoy.**

 **-TWT**

"Yang…" I whispered as I broke away. I knew at that moment what I wanted to do, and I knew… I _hoped_ , at least, that Yang knew.

"Yes, Ruby?" she whispered back, bringing her fingers to my cheek. I shivered at the touch, not because her fingers were cold. No, they were warm. Calming. Almost… inviting.

"I… I want…" I stammered, my cheeks flushing. I trusted my mouth as far as I could throw it at that moment.

"Ruby?" she tenderly asked. "What-"

Unable to hold back any longer, I catapulted my arms around her back. I could feel her raising her own in surprise.

"Please…" I whispered desperately into her ear. " _Help me_."

I could feel a shiver run up my spine as her arms curled around my back, lovingly stroking it. "Of course, Ruby," she whispered, letting us both fall gently onto the bed as I kissed her again.

Truth be told, I had no idea what to expect. But as she nibbled on my lip, I squeaked in surprise. She pulled away from the kiss, raising an eyebrow.

"Ruby?" she asked, still a little surprised at the noise I had made.

"Sorry, sorry," I quickly said. "Just… wasn't really expecting that."

Yang smirked. "Trust me, there's gonna be a lot about this process you won't expect, rosebud."

I gasped. She hadn't called me that in years. I felt my face flush a little, I always loved that nickname. Something about it had always… sent chills up my spine. I never realized why… until tonight.

"Aww…" my sister cooed, running her hand down my side. "You missed me calling you that, didn't you?"

"K-Kinda…" I stammered, squirming a bit at her touch. It was _so warm_ …

"Well, I'll try to use it more often." She suddenly sat up a bit, and started tugging at her sweater. "Hey, is it getting a bit hot in here, or is it just me?"

It took every fiber of my being to resist saying that it was just her.

"There we go," she sighed, finally getting it off of her. She flung it somewhere off to the side. Where? I don't exactly know. My eyes were a _tad_ preoccupied. I couldn't keep them off of her. Her smooth skin, practically shining in the light. Her toned abdominals, the end result of a heavy regiment of fitness and exercise that was _really_ paying off. My eyes continued upwards, until they rested on her breasts. God _save my soul_ , her breasts…

"Hey, eyes up here," Yang jokingly snapped, snickering at how red my face had gotten. She looked down at her jeans. "Well, ought to finish the job, don't you think, sis?"

I could barely articulate a response, but I think she took "A-A-b-ba d-da-de-da…" as a yes. My hands didn't work as well as my mouth did, it was like my whole body was shutting down. Which was _not helped_ once she finally wormed out of her denim. This time I kept my eyes on hers, because I knew if I looked down, I wouldn't be able to move.

"Oh, relax, Ruby," she said, crawling next to me. "This isn't the first time you've seen me naked."

That was kind of true. We had bathed together when we were kids, and I may have walked in on her once or twice while she was changing. But this… I could barely think.

Her face suddenly softened. "Aw, but look at you." She put a hand to my forehead. "You're burning up!" She grabbed me by the shoulders and sat me up. "You know what it is? It's gotta be those stuffy pajamas you're in."

If it was possible for my eyes to go any wider, or my face to go any redder, they did. "W-Wh-W-What?" I stuttered, feeling her hands tug at the hem of my tank top.

"Let's just get you…" My vision was darkened for a couple seconds, before I saw my tank top tossed somewhere.

Yang's eyes looked down, and she chuckled. "My, _my_ , how you've grown, Ruby!"

I squeaked, my arms wrapping around my bare chest. I forgot, I wasn't wearing a bra.

"Oh, no need to be embarrassed, sis. I'm topless, too. And if it's out of feeling inadequate, well, you have no right to be ashamed of those… uh, what _are_ you rockin' nowadays? B-cup?"

I'd say my sister had never acted like this before… but I'd be lying. Though this time, the sibling-like teasing had a bit more behind it.

"Uh… Th… They're… double-B's…" I somehow whispered.

I could hear Yang slowly whistle. "Not bad. You know, at this rate, you might catch up to me someday. Maybe even…" I could feel one of her hands going to the underside of my right breast. "Surpass me."

I could not _believe_ I had the willpower not to faint.

Her other hand went down to the waistband of my pajama bottoms… and abruptly stopped. The hand that was groping me went to my face, and Yang nudged me to look at her.

"Ruby, listen to me," she whispered. "I don't want this to be a bad experience for you. If anything I'm doing is making you uncomfortable, just say the word and I'll stop."

I swallowed. "Yang, it's… it's fine. It's just… this is…" Embarrassed to say it out loud, despite the fact that it was just us, I leaned into her ear. "This is my first time," I whispered. "With _any_ one."

She fondly sighed, and reached her hand up to the back of my head. "Then I'll just take this as easy as you need me to."

"I… I think I'd like to take them off myself."

Yang gently pulled back. "Okay," she said. "Go ahead."

I reached down, pulling at the hem of my emblem-patterned pajama bottoms, blushing all the while. Wasn't wearing anything under these, either.

I eased them off, and nudged them over the side of the bed, then turned to look at my sister, doing the best "sexy" pose I could.

My sister gave me a warm smile. "Look at you, Ruby," she said. "You're so beautiful." I could feel my face heat up, and I finally found the strength to look my sister over completely.

Her firm, supple hips. Her toned abs. Her defined biceps. Her broad shoulders. Her… her _breasts_. Her golden, lemonade-scented hair. Her gleaming lavender eyes. Everything about her was just… _right_.

"I've got nothing on you, Yang," I giggled, a bit proud that I was able to make it this far without rebooting.

"Oh, quit being so modest, sis. I mean… look at you!" We both laughed, before falling into a comfortable silence, and I inched a bit closer to her.

"Yang?" I asked. "Is… is this your first, too?" I waited for her to reply, I could tell she was thinking of something to say.

After a minute, she sighed, and looked me dead in the eye. "…No." I felt a pang in my chest, it hurt more than I think it should have.

"Then… what…" I don't think I could have finished that sentence if I tried.

Fortunately, I didn't need to. Yang sighed, and sat up, as I did the same.

"Okay…" she said. "You know how Weiss and Blake are an… item right now?"

"Yeah, I've seen them… you know… making out once or twice."

"Well, a few months ago, they weren't, right? And a few months ago, Blake and I went out to this bar. They let us get… kinda drunk."

I feel like I should have laughed at that, but I didn't have it in me.

"We ended up renting a hotel room for the night. And…" I think at this point, she could see my expression changing. "Ruby, you have to remember we were both drunk, we-"

"You… You and Blake…"

She gave what must have been her biggest sigh of the night. I could see she was starting to cry. "It's not what you think, Ruby. She already had a thing for Weiss at that point. And I for you. Well, _I_ always did, but the point is, we… we were both so scared that because of… because of who we all were… none of it would… We'd…"

I bit my lip, taking a few moments to comprehend what she was saying.

Tears were starting to stream down her cheek. "Ruby, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I swear, I would have, but… but it…" She put her face into her hands, and I could hear her weeping. I frowned, I didn't want her to cry. I hated it when she cried. Always did.

I hugged her from the back, and planted a little kiss on the back of her neck. "It's okay, Yang. I understand." And I did. She never thought she'd have to tell me about this. "Don't feel bad, alright?" I whispered, resting my head on her shoulder.

Her hands went up to my arms, and she turned and hugged me fully. I could feel her smiling against my cheek.

"Thanks, Ruby."

"Anything for my big sister," I said, before backing away and planting myself at the head of the bed. "And besides… this just means I'll have to let you take the lead."

She looked into my eyes, before nodding slowly. "Alright, rosebud," she purred, crawling her way to me. "I get your drift. But if I'm leading here… then that means we do this on my time."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your… time?"

She just winked, finally reaching my chest. "Meaning, you're just going to have to be very…" She leaned down. "Patient." I shivered as she whispered the last part in my ear. Her head inched its way down to my right breast. I could feel her breathing against my nipple. Soon, her tongue darted out.

Before that moment, no one but myself had ever touched my nipple. To have it not just touched, but _licked_ by someone who wasn't me was a brand-new experience that night. And to put it as bluntly as possible… _I loved every second_.

After a couple of licks, she put her whole mouth over and started sucking. That was what pushed me over. It felt amazing, like nothing I had ever experienced before. It wasn't long before I felt her hand… moving its way up my leg, slowly. Very slowly. Too slow for my liking, the way her mouth moved. The way her hand drew up my leg sent fire down my spine into my stomach.

Her mouth briefly moved away from my boob. "Oh, you are loving this, aren't you?"

I bit my lip, giving a small nod. "Y-Yeah…" I moaned.

She smirked, and turned her head to my other breast. "Don't wanna leave Lefty out of this, do we?" she calmly, yet sultrily asked before almost slamming her mouth over my left nipple. I couldn't help but let out a moan. Dad was out of the house. Noise wasn't an issue. Thankfully.

Her hand began to draw circles on my inner thigh, almost teasingly. Every time it passed the upper area, a shiver went down my spine.

"Sorry, am I aiming a little low, sis?" she teasingly asked, between suckles.

"You… have no idea." I said, panting.

She giggled, uncharacteristically. "Sorry. It's just, I'm kinda clumsy with my hands." Her head started moving down my torso. "I'm way better with my tongue, in my opinion."

I stared at her, wide-eyed. "Your what now," I said, a little shocked at what she had just said.

Yang hummed, kissing above my belly button. "You heard me." Her eyes found mine as she gave me a smirk. I watched as she slowly moved one of my legs, continuing to kiss around my stomach.

Once she felt that I was open enough she moved farther down, her eyes still on mine the whole time. Those lovely lavender eyes. I could just lose myself in-

That's about when I felt her tongue dart out, giving my… uh, "sweet spot…" a quick lick. A lick that sent a small tingling sensation through my stomach.

"You know, Ruby, they say you never forget your first."

"Oh… believe me, Yang… I will never forget this."

Yang smiled as she put her left hand on my hip and her right on the bed next to her.

Then… I still can't find the words to describe what happened then. All I could say was it felt amazing… no more and no less than amazing. And the whole time, I was letting out sounds that every father fears their daughter might make one day, but would never imagine the cause to be their own sister.

I had masturbated before this, of course. Humped my pillow, rubbed my… "sweet spot…" in the shower, used the occasional carrot. All of it didn't just pale in comparison to Yang, it _blanched_. Her tongue moved in mysterious ways, reaching spots I never could, and seemingly creating new ones out of thin air. My sister knew my own body better than I did.

It didn't take long for me to reach my limit, the sudden crash overwhelming. My entire body shook with pleasure, and color exploded in my vision. I don't remember how long it took for me to come down from the high, but it was slow. And wonderful.

By the time I could actually control my mind and body, Yang was there next to me, propping herself up on her arm.

"So, Ruby," she said, with a smirk. "Did that help?"

There was a little dip in my gut at being reminded of why this was happening at all… but it wasn't as painful as it was.

"Yeah. Yeah it did."

Yang brought her hand to my face, and pulled me in for a quick kiss. It tasted… well… um…

"Glad to hear it," she said as she pulled away and sat against the headboard. "But, I think I'm getting a bit jealous."

"J-Je-Jealous?" I stammered, sitting up a bit.

"Ruby…" Yang said, as she looked me in the eyes. "I want you to help me too." She nodded to her chest. I felt my face heat up, she wanted me to help her?

"You… You want me to help you?"

"Yep," she said. "Just like I helped you. Well, not _just_ like it. You just help me… however you can. I'll appreciate it."

I sat up, more unable to speak clearly than I had been all night. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Well… _them_ , to be specific.

Yang smirked when she noticed where my eyes were. "There is no need to be shy, Ruby. You've been staring at them all night. Go ahead." I gulped, a little hesitant. How would I start?

As if to answer my question, Yang slowly took one of my hands and placed it on her breeeeaaa…

Past this point, all that really comes to mind are vague adjectives and verbs.

Big. Soft. Warm. Squeeze. Firm. Lick. Suck. …Tasty? Everything about them just mixed together, becoming a globular daze in my memory. I do, however, remember every time she let out a moan. It kinda made me feel proud…

Once I (and Yang) were satisfied, I scooched up to her side and hugged her, feeling a warmth in my chest when she returned it. I had never felt so loved in my life.

Which made the conversation that came next… a bit unpleasant to sit through.

"We're not gonna be able to tell anyone about this, are we?" I asked after a little bit of cuddling.

Yang hummed, but it wasn't a happy hum. "Well, I wouldn't say _anyone_. I mean, Blake already knows, and she's okay with it. You know Jaune's gonna stick by you no matter what."

I smiled a bit at her comment. Yeah, he was great.

She continued. "Weiss is pretty open-minded, despite herself. So's Pyrrha. Nora and Ren seem pretty chill. Doubt they would care." She sighed deeply. "But yeah. We may have to keep this a secret from most people."

I gave a small hum of agreement. "Especially Dad."

Yang laughed a bit at this. "Well, he always did say he wanted the best for both of us." She pulled her head back a bit, and looked at me fondly. "He'd be happy to know we both found it."

I couldn't help but kiss her right then. "You know… we _could_ always run off and get married once we graduate. I mean, we have different last names. No one would raise an eyebrow."

Yang laughed a bit more. "I guess I'll think about it," she said, and held me a bit closer. "I love you, Ruby. No matter what anyone says, and no matter what happens to us… I love you."

"I love you too, Yang."

I moved my ear over her chest, listening to her heartbeat. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before, or have heard since. Even now, all these years later, it's still what I consider to be the best sound in all of Remnant, and one I'm always, _always_ happy to hear.

It's the sound of love. Sisterly, friendly, romantic, unconditional, unabashed, pure, sweet, absolute… true… love.

"I will always love you," I whispered.

And as we fell asleep in each other's arms, in that moment… everything was perfect.

 **Author's Note: Happy to see you're still with us. If you enjoyed this, please favorite, review, etc., and be sure to view my other stories, as well as those of my co-writer, TheShadowKittyCat. Thank you for your patronage, and have a splendid Valentine's Day.**

 **-TWT**


	3. Epilogue: The Next Morning

I woke up the next day feeling… warm. It was a beautiful combination of the sun coming through the window, the weight of my covers… and the embrace of my sister-cum-lover. I looked at her face, right into her beaming lavender eyes.

"Hey," she whispered.

I smiled. "Hey," I whispered back.

"Hey."

A third, gravely voice had entered the fray. We looked to the doorway and saw my uncle Qrow standing there, flask in his hand like always.

"So," he drawled, taking a swig. "Do I want to know why my two nieces are in bed, naked, in one another's arms?"

"Um… probably not," Yang replied.

He chuckled once. "So I figured. Don't worry, I won't tell." He walked off down the hall, taking another drink.


End file.
